It’s officially another season, another prospects ranking for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
In years past, this has been a bit easier of an exercise, as there used to be a more clear-cut line between prospects with NHL upside and longshots. However, because of the work that general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas and his staff have put in during the last several years, the line is blurring a whole lot more – and there is a substantially higher volume of talent in the system.
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This time around, making a top-20 list was challenging. So, a few criteria were put into place: To make our list, prospects must be under the age of 26 and have played less than 50 NHL games. This excludes names such as Ben Kindel, Filip Hallander, Oliver Okuliar, and Alexander Alexeyev.
At No. 15, we discussed one of the two twins from the Penguins’ 2026 draft class in Markus Ruck, who is an intelligent center iceman with a ton of offensive upside. At No. 14, we look at a guy who may not be the most purely skilled player on the block, but he is surely one of the most tenacious and tough to play against.
No. 14: LW Tanner Howe
There are few prospects in the Penguins’ organization with the “rat-like” approach to hockey that Howe takes. And that, combined with some translatable offensive prowess, makes him both a unique player in within in their system and one who could very well turn into an effective NHL player.
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The 5-foot-11, 183-pound Howe was selected in the second round (46th overall) of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, and his development since then has already seen a few curveballs. The biggest one was thrown when he tore his ACL late in his 2024-25 WHL campaign with the Calgary Hitmen, and he did not return until February of 2026, when he was eligible to play in the AHL for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) Penguins.
Top-20 Penguins’ Prospects 2026, No. 15: Newly Drafted Center Has High Offensive Upside
Top-20 Penguins’ Prospects 2026, No. 15: Newly Drafted Center Has High Offensive UpsideNext up at No. 15 on THN’s Top-20 Penguins’ Prospects list is a cerebral, tactical center who led WHL scoring last season and has even more untapped offensive potential.
There, he put up eight goals and 16 points in 27 games, and he also had three goals and five points in 14 Calder Cup Playoff games. No, these raw numbers don’t jump out in any kind of outstanding way on a stats sheet, but they also don’t tell the whole story about Howe’s process and what makes him a pretty easy bet as an everyday NHL player.
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Aside from the nastiness of Howe’s game – which is a hallmark trait of his – it’s his tenacity and relentlessness coupled with his smarts in the offensive zone. He knows how to expose the softer areas in the middle of the ice, and he works his tail off along the walls. He wins a lot of puck battles, his speed is an asset, and he simply knows how to outwork and outwit the competition to set both himself and his teammates up nicely for opportunities.
Above all, he is exceptional at the net front – even as a smaller player – because he isn’t afraid to engage physically, he excels at winning positioning, and he has the shooting talent to put the puck in the back of the net, even while under pressure.
But Howe’s game doesn’t end at the offensive blue line, either. He’s strong in all three zones, anticipating well and disrupting passing and shooting lanes, backchecking effectively with his speed advantage, and pressuring opponents into making mistakes. He also has value on both special teams units and is particularly adept on the penalty kill.
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All in all, Howe very much has a translatable NHL skillset, which is something that can’t be said about everyone. Even if his ceiling isn’t sky-high, his floor is quite high, and he figures to bring some much-needed grit, nastiness, and offensive upside to the Penguins’ bottom-six in the not-so-distant future.
In fact, don’t be entirely surprised if Howe makes his NHL debut at some point in 2026-27.
Top-20 Penguins’ Prospects 2026, No. 16: Netminder Entering Huge ‘Prove-It’ Season
Top-20 Penguins’ Prospects 2026, No. 16: Netminder Entering Huge ‘Prove-It’ SeasonNext up on THN’s Top-20 Penguins’ Prospects list is a goaltender who, while still believed to be a valuable part of the team’s future, is entering a pivotal season for his career.
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The list so far:
– Honorable mentions
– No. 20:D Chase Pietila
– No. 19:C Kale Dach
– No. 18:LW/C Ryan Miller
– No. 17:C Zam Plante
– No. 16:G Joel Blomqvist
– No. 15: C Markus Ruck
– No. 14: LW Tanner Howe
Koivunen Contract, For Better Or For Worse, Sets Precedent For Dubas And Penguins Moving Forward
Koivunen Contract, For Better Or For Worse, Sets Precedent For Dubas And Penguins Moving ForwardKyle Dubas and the Pittsburgh Penguins came to terms with unproven young forward Ville Koivunen on an eight-year, $32 million contract Thursday, which could set a high precedent for future contracts involving the team’s young talent.
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